Caterina just wrote a great post describing the notion of FOMO, or “Fear of Missing Out.” She writes:

“It’s an age-old problem, exacerbated by technology. To be always filled with craving and desire (also called defilement, affliction) is one of the Three Poisons of Buddhism, called kilesa, and it makes you a slave. There is true meaning in social media—real connections, real friendships, devotion, humor, sacrifice, joy, depth, love. And this is what we are looking for when we log on. ”

So true. Amusingly enough, Caterina is a Flickr founder, which was the first service to make me aware of all the cool stuff I wasn’t doing — my friends and I called it the Parties You Weren’t Invited to Channel.

The thing is, I still love social media, despite the occasional sense that everyone is popping bottles of champagne on city rooftops while I watch The Office reruns in my yoga pants. Seeing what I’m “missing” has shaped how I decide to spend my time, reminded me to fill my life with stuff that makes me feel like there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Now when I feel like I’m missing out, I see it as a flag that I’m unhappy about something else, an indicator that I need to invest some time in finding my own fun, or a reminder to stay in the moment — even if the moment is just enjoying my friends photos in my PJs.

Caterina mentioned that she’s noticing a high level of FOMO around SxSW, but I’m in Austin now and I have to say that Foursquare, Twitter, and Facebook have made things so much easier and happier for me than in years past when I had to call around to find people.

What about you? Do forays into social media make you feel more connected or less adequate?